Team Building — 5 Steps to Forming a Team

So you’re forming a team? My job is completely new and I’m recruiting into a team now. This is a great opportunity and I relish the challenge!

Team Building

When I started thinking about team building the first thing I did was to imagine what the team would be like. I see a highly successful team with the right skills, abilities and attitudes. A team with a flat structure. One that aids communication and encourages innovation.

But how do I realise this vision?

Straight away I thought of Tuckman‘s model for small group development: Forming, storming, norming and performing. Clearly my focus is on forming. But what does this mean? The advice is quite clear for this first stage of team building.

5 Steps to Forming a Team

Goodwill may exist but trust is likely to be low. There is little agreement on team aims. Roles and responsibilities are unclear and team members behave independently.

Consequently, there is high dependence on the team leader for guidance and direction. So, the leader should be ready to answer lots of questions about the team’s purpose, aims and relationships with key stakeholders.

What does this mean in practice?

Well here’s what I’m doing. As ever, in five steps!

Ground Rules

The way in which the team operates is very important to me.

How will people behave? What is the culture of the team?

To be effective, everyone needs to be clear about the way they work together. The team needs a common identity … to share the same values, goals and objectives. Ground rules provide guidance for specific behaviours and expectations.

However, to make sure they are followed they should be prepared and agreed by the team. Therefore, I believe that a team charter should be drawn up when the team is first formed. This will help everyone to focus on the right things from the start.

Roles and Responsibilities

Once the ground rules are agreed the team should begin to define roles and responsibilities.

How will the team work together? How are different personality types accommodated?

I am accountable for bringing people with the right skills and experience to the team. However, it won’t be until the team first meets that I get a real insight into how well members will work together. This is the time to match people to roles and identify gaps within the team.

At this early stage, the team can define the various duties and outcomes and agree responsibility for them. What’s more, it is the first chance to identify strengths and weaknesses within the team.

Decision Making

Forming a Team

Decision making is an important element of team work.

How are decisions made? Who has the last say? What can be done without prior approval? How is conflict resolved?